The Unauthorized Banksy Exhibit

Don and I debated whether or not to go to the Unauthorized Banksy Exhibit. There is one happening in Philadelphia we have talked about going to. On the one hand, I admire his work. On the other hand, as an unauthorized exhibit, the artist does not benefit. 

Banksy is a street artist. I first heard of him while on a guided tour of Bethlehem in 2019. I should have googled him before going to New Orleans as he has pieces there, too. 

We were talked into a four euro upcharge that included a Virtual Reality element. I normally don't do well with VR, but normally those are on Disneyland rides that also include a lot of uncontrollable jostling. The VR came at the end.

Before that we were in a large gutted church where Banksy's artwork was projected on all walls and the floor. This was my third immersive art exhibit. The first was Gustav Klimt's work in the Ateliers and Lumieres exhibit in Paris in September 2018. That exhibit was jaw dropping in its ability to make you feel as if you were IN his artwork. I wasn't even familiar with his art prior to the exhibit.

The second was seeing Van Gogh exhibit in New York City in August 2021. That exhibit was less magical. It could be because it cost more than twice as much as the Klimt exhibit did, or because the novelty wore off, or because it was mid-pandemic (though we didn't know it at the time) and being with that many people felt odd, or because the same images were in many different rooms instead of just one large room.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this exhibit. We spent at least 15 minutes standing outside the ticket booth making up our minds while the clock ticked.

We went for it.

His art was projected on the walls and floor of the chapel. Later we discovered a staircase which led to a balcony giving a birds' eye view of the art.

A copy of the first Banksy I saw in Bethlehem.

Even looking back on these pictures, I cannot get over how the space transforms by changing what is projected.

In the front of the "church" is a room with its own projections, and mirrors on all sides. I felt as if I was inside a cube -- similar to the feeling at the Escher exhibit, but with music.

Downstairs there are videos explaining his work. An opportunity to create your own graffiti -- which was trickier than I thought it would be, even with stencils o his art.

And the Virtual Reality exhibit.

We did the VR twice it was that cool! You feel as if you are going down the streets of London and Palestine pausing at his art. There were times it was behind me because I was too excited studying my surroundings. I wanted to whip out my camera and take pictures -- it felt that real!

We closed the place down for the night. They were setting up for an evening concert as we were leaving.